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A GP surgery can give someone proxy access so they can help another person manage their GP health and care.
A proxy may be able to act for the person they support, by:
Reasons for wanting or needing help could include:
If you're aged 16 or over, you can ask for someone to be your proxy for any reason. It does not stop you having access to your GP services yourself.
If you help someone else with prescriptions, booking appointments or managing their health and care, getting proxy access could make it easier and more convenient.
Setting up proxy access
In most cases you will need to contact the surgery of the person who wants help, to ask for proxy access.
The surgery will make sure the person giving access understands and agrees to it, where needed.
You may both have to fill in a form and prove who you are using photo ID.
The GP surgery will then decide what access, if any, is appropriate, and make the changes in their clinical systems to set it up.
Adults who cannot understand and agree to proxy access
Proxy access for another adult is usually given based on them requesting it themselves, or understanding and agreeing to it. Adults aged 16 and over are assumed to be able to understand and consent to their own treatment. This is called having capacity.
If the person you want to help cannot understand or agree to you acting for them, for example because of a condition such as dementia, this is called lacking capacity.
The GP surgery may still be able to give you access. They will make a decision based on what is in the best interests of the person who needs help.
You can only get online access to the GP services of a child aged under 16 if you are their parent or guardian with legal parental responsibility.
Find out more about parental responsibility on GOV.UK
The child I want proxy access for is 16 or older
When a young person is 16, they are considered to be an adult. You may be able to access GP services on their behalf if they want you to be their proxy, or if they have a condition that means they cannot manage their health and care on their own.
How to get parent and guardian proxy access
If you care for a child aged under 16, and you have legal parental responsibility for them, you can usually get proxy access by asking the GP surgery to set this up. You may need to fill in a form.
Before giving you access, the GP surgery may need to check:
You do not have to live at the same address as the child to have access.
You can have proxy access for more than 1 child, and a child can have more than 1 proxy acting on their behalf.
Children's rights, capacity and consent
Children have the same legal rights over their data as adults. The GP surgery must get the child's consent before giving access to their online GP services, if the child is able to understand and make an informed decision. This is called having capacity.
Children aged 11 or over are usually considered to have the capacity to consent, or refuse access, unless for example they have a medical condition or learning disability that affects their understanding.
My child will not have capacity to make an informed decision
If you think your child will not be able to understand what it means to give you access to their online GP services, you can tell your GP surgery.
The GP surgery will give access based on the best interests of the child. This will usually mean having a parent or guardian acting on the child's behalf.
When your online access will stop
Parent and guardian access usually ends when a child is 16. If your child wants or needs you to help manage their GP services when they are 16 or over, your GP surgery can set it up again.
Most GP surgeries also have an automatic cut-off age between 11 and 14, where online parent and guardian access is stopped to protect an older child's confidentiality.
If your access stops, you can ask your GP surgery to restore it.
The surgery will usually check the child agrees to your access (consents) first.
You can tell your GP surgery in advance if you think your child will not be able to understand what it means to give you access to their online GP services (called lacking capacity).
When your online access ends, you will still be able to manage your child's health and care at the GP surgery in the same way you do now.
Every GP surgery is responsible for protecting the medical information they hold about their patients, and protecting patients from any abuse, control or coercion.
GP surgeries have the right to refuse proxy access for any reason, if they think it would not be in someone's best interests, even if they have requested it themselves.
GP surgeries are responsible for deciding:
If a GP surgery sets you up as a proxy for someone else, you can access services for them online.
If you are both registered at the same GP surgery, you can use Linked profiles in the NHS App or by logging in to the NHS website. Find out more about linked profiles.
If you are registered at different GP surgeries, the surgery setting up access will give you login information for an app or website you can use.